Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey turned back the toughest primary challenge of his half-century career on Tuesday, defeating US Representative Seth Moulton to win the Democratic nomination for a third full Senate term, the Associated Press projected. Markey will face Republican John Deaton in November. In the governor’s race, Mike Minogue won the Republican nomination over Brian Shortsleeve and will challenge Democratic Governor Maura Healey, who ran unopposed in her own primary.
Massachusetts Primary Election Results 2026: Why Did Markey Beat Moulton By Such A Wide Margin?
Markey, 80, built a commanding lead over the 47-year-old Moulton as returns came in Tuesday night, echoing his 2020 primary win over Joe Kennedy III. The senator campaigned on Medicare for All, a Green New Deal and taxing billionaires, and drew support from Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“Tonight is a testament to the power of the progressive movement of our nation,” Markey told supporters in Boston. Moulton and allied groups outspent Markey’s campaign on advertising, but the challenger’s generational-change message failed to loosen the incumbent’s grip on the party’s left flank.
Massachusetts Primary Election Results 2026: Why Does Moulton’s Concession Put Trump At The Centre Of The Race?
Conceding at his Dorchester watch party, Moulton said he had called Markey to congratulate him, pledging his backing for the general election and urging Democrats to unite to defeat US President Donald Trump. Reflecting on his own campaign, Moulton said calling for “a new generation of leadership isn’t easy, but it is necessary.” Moulton, a former Marine who ran for president in 2020, had argued that Markey, first elected to the House in 1976, was no longer the party’s most effective voice against Trump’s agenda.
Massachusetts Primary Election Results 2026: How Is Minogue Positioning Himself Against Healey?
Minogue, an Army veteran who spent nearly two decades as chief executive of medical device maker Abiomed, defeated Shortsleeve, a former Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority administrator, to claim the Republican nomination.
“We are going to make history,” Minogue told supporters after the race was called. Healey, who is seeking a second term after running unopposed in her own primary, has cast her opponent as an ally of the Trump administration’s agenda. “Donald Trump is gonna be president for two more years,” Healey told supporters, arguing the governor’s race matters more than ever.
Massachusetts Primary Election Results 2026: Which Other Primary Races Were Decided On Tuesday?
In the crowded contest for Moulton’s 6th Congressional District seat, Dan Koh won the Democratic nomination over five rivals, including Bethany Andres-Beck and Tram Nguyen, the Associated Press reported. Suffolk County’s Democratic primary for district attorney featured a three-way contest between incumbent Kevin Hayden, former US Attorney Rachael Rollins and Linda Champion, while seven Democrats competed in Norfolk County to succeed longtime District Attorney Michael Morrissey. Results in both district attorney races were still being finalised as votes were counted into Tuesday night.
